Naruto kept getting smacked.
Over and over again.
At first it was surprising, if a bit of endearing. The last part made him feel like an idiot, but hey, when you get your crush's attention even for a little bit, isn't that something? Of course it came with a price of a red mark on his shoulder, but Naruto had been hurt before. He can take it.
The second time was on his neck, and it hurt.
Sakura doesn't reserve her strength, so it came with a loud thwack.
"Hey what was that for?!"
"Cause you're being an idiot that's what!"
And everything settled a bit cause of a bit of a chuckle there, hiding his face at the right time. A pinprick of emotion he can't name started to form, and it wasn't good. Not really.
The reasons for it happening varied. From "Stop distracting Sasuke-kun" to "I don't like you!"
Bit by bit, the attraction he felt from Sakura vanished.
Then they became teammates.
And it happened everytime.
Until Naruto can't take it anymore.
"Stop hurting me!" The gritted words turned into a roar. Everything seemed to stop as Sakura, Kakashi, and even Sasuke stared back at him with wide eyes.
"Why do you keep on smacking me, huh?! Is it that funny? I never did that to you!" He pointed at Sakura with enraged eyes. "All I did is just some harmless stuff and you just keep on pushing and pushing and pushing and I just have enough of it!"
"N-Naruto wait, I didn't mean-"
"You're just like all the other villagers! Do you guys think I'm stupid? I see their stares! And their words and I took it for a long long time...then I had a team, and I thought it meant something." Unknowingly tears poured out in Naruto's eyes.
"Just leave me alone."
Even a good-natured person has their lines. This is one of Naruto's.
